Cisco’s global channel chief resigns

Wendy Bahr has announced her decision to vacate her role as senior vice president of global partner organisation at Cisco, resigning from the vendor after 18 years.

A veteran of both Cisco and the channel, Bahr confirmed her intention to leave the tech giant via an internal e-mail, as first reported by CRN.

“My decision came down to knowing this is the right time for me personally,” wrote Bahr, according to CRN. “I’m not sure what’s next, but I am excited for the next chapter in my career and I will leave knowing the company is firmly positioned for great success.”

Bahr will remain in the role until a replacement is hired before November, with Chuck Robbins – CEO of Cisco – taking to social media to praise the outgoing executive.

“Special thanks to @wybahr for all of your great contributions to @Cisco – we will miss you but we wish you the best in all you do and we will always value our friendship! @CiscoPartners,” wrote Robbins, via Twitter.

Operating as a partner-friendly leader, Bahr was responsible for managing and supporting more than 60,000 global partners.

“We respect Wendy’s decision to leave Cisco and want to thank her for 18 years of leadership at Cisco, most recently leading our global partner organisation,” a company statement read.

“Our partner community is one of our strongest assets and we are committed to their success and helping them evolve with Cisco’s transformation.”

Bahr previously led the Americas partner organisation for Cisco, which encompassed a team of nearly 600 employees and more than 23,000 partners.

In this role, she was responsible for partner enablement, partner profitability, and product and service sales growth with partners across the vendor’s largest geographical region – spanning United States, Canada, and Latin America – with annual revenues over $18 billion.

Prior to this, Bahr led Cisco’s global and strategic partner organisation, where she was responsible for more than $9.5 billion in revenue through the company’s largest and most strategic systems integrators, service providers, and ecosystem partners.